How fast does technology move? This year’s football preview section illustrated it better than anything else we could have made up here at the StarNews. When the content idea – technology’s advance on high school football — was hatched back in the spring, the print edition was still produced here in the Port City. By the time the first rough draft of a page was created, we knew we were moving that part of the process halfway across the country… Read More »

The StarNews’ coverage (or lack thereof, according to some people) of Friday night’s New Hanover-Southern Durham football game was such a point of contention that it deserved a thorough explanation.… Read More »

My life has had plenty of interesting things happen, in lots of different places, but two things have remained pretty constant: small towns and sports. I’m from a place in a middle of a corn field, not much bigger than Wallace or Burgaw. And sports have been a part of my life since I was a kid, playing peewee soccer or shooting baskets in the schoolyard behind my house. So when the recent severe athletic budget issues in New Hanover… Read More »

Hoggard-New Hanover girls soccer had always been a rivalry. Plenty of reasons, yes, but mostly because the two schools are archrivals in everything. If the two schools had varsity marbles teams, they probably would have a little dislike for each other, too. On Friday night, the rivalry became official to everyone. Pregame tailgate? Check. Little kids with hairspray in school colors? Check. Student sections separated by a police officer? Check. Rivalry games have been won on weird plays, on gutty… Read More »

About This Blog

Howdy. I’m sports editor Dan Spears, and I keep everything straightened up around here — with thoughts on pretty much anything to do with sports, both locally and nationally. I’ve been with the StarNews since August 2006, and sports editor since September 2008. I’m a big college basketball fan and have been to the first weekend of the NCAAs every year since 1997, either as a fan or a writer. I attempt to play golf, run marathons and play volleyball here in town at Capt’n Bill’s on Market Street. Enjoy reading, and let me know what you’re thinking … Dan